The present invention relates to a disk tray to carry disks used in audio or video playback devices, and more particularly relates to a disk tray suitable for carrying compact disks.
Known in the art for the continuous and automatic playback of a plural number of disks, is an automatic disk playback device (such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,554) that uses a combination of an automatic disk playback device and a disk magazine which comprises a disk casing and a plural number of disk trays housed in the disk casing.
A disk tray is made using a single disk plate and has a substantially circular recess formed in it in order to house and support a disk. In addition, the disk casing is a box shape that has its front surface open and the inner walls of both sides having a plural number of parallel ribs forming multiple steps in order to stack and house a plural number of disk trays.
A disk is inserted into the disk tray housed in the disk housing portion and carried, and both sides of the disk trays are inserted between the inner ribs of the disk casing so that the disk trays are slidably supported and housed inside the disk casing.
In the case of large-diameter disks (such as 12 cm disks) where the disk carried in the disk tray have their circumferential edges close to both sides of the disk tray, when the disk trays are inserted into the disk casing, part of the circumferential edge of the disk is held between the disk casing inner ribs immediately above and beneath so that the disk tray cannot fall out when the disk magazine is handled or transported.
However, when small-diameter disks (such as 8 cm disks) are used, the circumferential edge of the disks inserted into the disk trays do not reach to between the inner ribs when the disk trays are inserted into the disk casing and so the disks cannot be held between the ribs above and beneath. Because of this, there is a problem that small-diameter disks may fall out of the disk trays when the disk magazine is handled or transported.